The All Party Parliamentary Group for Tibet

Tibet: 1959-2009. 50 years of oppression; 50 years of resistance.
The Tibet Society
March 30, 2009

FOR INFORMATION:
If you would like to attend the APPGT meeting,
please call me on 020 7272 1414 or email apgt@btinternet.com. Thanks.

MEETING REMINDER: Tuesday 31 March: 4pm, Room O, Portcullis House

EDMs: There are currently three EDMs tabled
concerning Tibet, for full texts see below or
click on the EDM names to go to the parliament
website. Please sign these to show the government
the urgency of the current situation in Tibet.

EDM 978: The 50th Anniversary on 10 March 2009 of
the Tibetan National Uprising
EDM 998: Venerable Palden Gyatso and human rights in Tibet
EDM 1034: Political situation in Tibet
EDM 1172: South Africa and the Dalai Lama

EDMs:

EDM 978: The 50th Anniversary on 10 March 2009 of
the Tibetan National Uprising
This House notes the 50th Anniversary on 10 March
2009 of the Tibetan National Uprising; draws
attention to the unique historical position of
Great Britain and Tibet whereby Great Britain had
direct diplomatic and trade links with Tibet and
maintained a permanent diplomatic mission in
Tibet between 1933-1947, further notes the
written Ministerial Statement of 29 October 2008
which changed the British governments long held
position on the status of Tibet that was made
without receiving any assurance from the Chinese
government to make genuine progress on the issue
of Tibet, and in view of the governments strong
concerns on human rights issues inside Tibet also
expressed in the ministerial statement, including
the situation of those remaining in detention,
the increased constraints on religious activity
and the limitations on free access to the Tibet
Autonomous Region by diplomats and journalists,
urgently calls on the government to act on these
concerns and give effect to its stated commitment
to seek a solution for Tibet, and further calls
on the government to draft a list of practical
actions that address these issues, with a clear
framework to monitor progress, that the Chinese
government can adopt in order to work to bring
about genuine justice to the Tibetan people.

EDM 998: Venerable Palden Gyatso and human rights in Tibet
That this House welcomes the arrival to Britain,
at the invitation of the Tibet Society, of the
former political prisoner, the Venerable Palden
Gyatso, to speak of his experiences; notes with
deep regret the suffering and torture he endured
during 33 years of imprisonment following
detainment in 1959 for peaceful protest; commends
his commitment to peacefully calling for the
rights and freedom of his people; further notes
with sadness that 50 years on the human rights
situation in Palden's homeland of Tibet remains
critical, with continuing oppressive measures
being imposed upon the Tibetan people by Chinese
government policies, such as patriotic
re-education, arbitrary arrests and torture in
detention and the use of brutal force against
Tibetans who publicly demonstrate; and offers its
support for a just and fair solution for the Tibetan people.

EDM 1034: Political situation in Tibet
That this House condemns the state of de facto
martial law that Tibet has been subjected to by
the Chinese government on the eve of the 50th
anniversary of the Tibetan Uprising and the
flight of the Dalai Lama; recognises the severe
impact on basic human rights and freedoms the
present Chinese approach is having on the Tibetan
people; notes that Tibetans continue to be
tortured and killed and that thousands are
subject to arbitrary and heavy-handed
restrictions of movement; and calls on the
Chinese government to end the de facto martial
law and to lift the official ban on access to
Tibet for journalists and aid organisations.

EDM 1172: South Africa and the Dalai Lama
That this House deeply regrets the decision by
South Africa to refuse a visa to the Dalai Lama
to attend a peace conference in Johannesburg this
week; questions the priorities of the South
African government in taking such a course of
action so as not to upset relations with China;
and calls on the South African government to
reverse its decision in the interests of
promoting free speech and pursuing a peaceful
solution to settling the longstanding dispute
over the autonomy and human rights of the people of Tibet.